Rotary Year in Review

Our Rotary year spans from July to June. Here are highlights of our most recent year (ending June 30, 2018).

Scholarships

In the past Rotary year $46,000 was awarded in scholarships to students attending technical schools, colleges and universities.

These scholarships were made possible by a gift from Noah and Evelyn Arell, which resulted in creation of the Arell Scholarship Fund endowment, upon the death of Evelyn in 2007 (her husband Noah predeceased her) This endowment will provide funds for scholarships in perpetuity.

Community Support

Community Support Awards totaled $31,425. These awards are given from the money we raised each year through the Golf Tournament, Major Raffle and other volunteer fundraising activities.

These awards went for youth camperships, youth and elderly programs, youth music & arts, and other civic and community programs. Guidelines for requesting donations can be found here on the website.

Special Board Donations for Community Support

The Arell gift noted above also resulted in creation of the Arell Community Support Fund endowment. This allows the Club, through member support and Board approval, to award larger requests that meet the needs in our community.

We hold a 4 Way Test Speech Contest in the spring of each Rotary year. This past year Skylar Mathews, a senior at Concord High, won first place from among more than 20 competitors at our local club contest to earn the $500 prize. Skylar went all the way to the District Conference in Burlington, VT, from a series of qualifying contests, and won the grand prize for an additional $650!

This experience helps young people gain confidence with public speaking. We have had high school students from Home Schoolers, Concord High, Bishop Brady High, Concord Christian, Merrimack Valley High and Pembroke Academy participate in the contest.

Parks Clean Up

Our Club maintains three parks in the Concord area, one at Sewalls Falls, one at Makee Square and the other at the corner of Main and Loudon Road. With the motto “many hands make light work” the Club members even have fun cleaning up!

Friendly Kitchen

The Rotary Club of Concord has been a strong supporter of the Friendly Kitchen for the past several years. We serve one dinner every month and serve in the breakfast rotation in the cold winter months. Again, this service provides for more fun for the members of this active club.